Identify the challenges to democracy in the following descriptions. Also, suggest policy/institutional mechanism to deepen democracy in the given situations:
a) Following a High Court directive, a temple in Orissa that had separate entry doors for Dalits and non-Dalits allowed entry for all from the same door.
b) A large number of farmers are committing suicide in different states of India
c) Following allegation of killing of three civilians in Gandwara in a fake encounter by Jammu and Kashmir police, an enquiry has been ordered.
Identify the challenges to democracy in the following descriptions. Also, suggest policy/institutional mechanism to deepen democracy in the given situations:
a) Following a High Court directive, a temple in Orissa that had separate entry doors for Dalits and non-Dalits allowed entry for all from the same door.
b) A large number of farmers are committing suicide in different states of India
c) Following allegation of killing of three civilians in Gandwara in a fake encounter by Jammu and Kashmir police, an enquiry has been ordered.
a) Following a High Court directive, a temple in Orissa that had separate entry doors for Dalits and non-Dalits allowed entry for all from the same door.
- There are many instances of caste-based atrocities and inequalities, but these lack the legal and moral foundations. Governments and Courts have intervened many times to make sure that justice is given to the people facing caste based discrimination. This intervention was possible as the nation is run based on democracy.
- In promoting freedom and dignity of the individual, democracy stands much superior to any other form of government.
- Democracy in India has strengthened the claims of the discriminated castes and disadvantaged for equal opportunity and equal status.
- Receiving respect from fellow beings is a basic expectation of every individual.
- The feeling that they are not treated with due respect is one of the main reasons behind the rise in conflicts among individuals.
- The basis of democracy is the passion for freedom and respect.
- It is a difficult matter to recognize that all individuals are equal, for societies which have been built for long on the basis of dominance and subordination.
b) A large number of farmers are committing suicide in different states of India.
- Usually the poor farmers have to depend on informal sources of credit and it is the richer households who receive formal credit.
- In the informal sector, lenders can lend at whatever interest rate they choose.
- But informal lenders tend to charge very high rates of interest, which are higher than the banks.
- Income from farming is the major source of money for farmers, hence the farmers ability to repay loans is dependent on farming income.
- Because of the crop failure, credit pushes the poor farmers into a debt trap and further aggravates the problems. This leads to a high number of suicides among farmers.
- Although there is high economic growth in a nation, the wealth is not equally distributed among people, this leads to economic inequality.
- Political equality is the basis of democracy.
- We find growing economic inequalities while in parallel the process of bringing individuals into the political arena on an equal footing is going on.
- Those at the bottom of the society their incomes have been declining.
- Poor farmers have very little alternative sources of incomes to depend upon.
- Poor people find it difficult to meet their basic needs of life, such as health, housing, education, clothing, food.
- A highly disproportionate share of incomes and wealth lies in the hands of a few ultra-rich.
- It is reasonable to expect democracies to reduce economic disparities, perhaps more than development.
c) Following allegation of killing of three civilians in Gandwara in a fake encounter by Jammu and Kashmir police, an enquiry has been ordered.
- As there is democracy, an inquiry has been ordered in the case of a fake encounter.
- As there is democracy, it gives freedom to press and freedom of speech to citizens, hence the case of fake encounters has come to the notice of the public and the authorities.
- If it was a dictatorship regime, the authorities would have turned a blind eye to such cases.
- It is important for the law agencies to find the root cause behind the fake encounter, and make necessary provisions such that police will not be motivated to carry out any further fake encounters.
- If the law is able to establish that a fake encounter did take place, then due punishment has to be given to the people indulging in such activities.
- As per law, intelligence gathering mechanisms have to be strengthened to avoid any kind of confusions, thereby preventing loss of innocent lives.
- Political and economic equality must be enforced to make sure that people of that region are brought to the mainstream of society which allow opportunities for creating a society without conflicts.
a) Following a High Court directive, a temple in Orissa that had separate entry doors for Dalits and non-Dalits allowed entry for all from the same door.
- There are many instances of caste-based atrocities and inequalities, but these lack the legal and moral foundations. Governments and Courts have intervened many times to make sure that justice is given to the people facing caste based discrimination. This intervention was possible as the nation is run based on democracy.
- In promoting freedom and dignity of the individual, democracy stands much superior to any other form of government.
- Democracy in India has strengthened the claims of the discriminated castes and disadvantaged for equal opportunity and equal status.
- Receiving respect from fellow beings is a basic expectation of every individual.
- The feeling that they are not treated with due respect is one of the main reasons behind the rise in conflicts among individuals.
- The basis of democracy is the passion for freedom and respect.
- It is a difficult matter to recognize that all individuals are equal, for societies which have been built for long on the basis of dominance and subordination.
b) A large number of farmers are committing suicide in different states of India.
- Usually the poor farmers have to depend on informal sources of credit and it is the richer households who receive formal credit.
- In the informal sector, lenders can lend at whatever interest rate they choose.
- But informal lenders tend to charge very high rates of interest, which are higher than the banks.
- Income from farming is the major source of money for farmers, hence the farmers ability to repay loans is dependent on farming income.
- Because of the crop failure, credit pushes the poor farmers into a debt trap and further aggravates the problems. This leads to a high number of suicides among farmers.
- Although there is high economic growth in a nation, the wealth is not equally distributed among people, this leads to economic inequality.
- Political equality is the basis of democracy.
- We find growing economic inequalities while in parallel the process of bringing individuals into the political arena on an equal footing is going on.
- Those at the bottom of the society their incomes have been declining.
- Poor farmers have very little alternative sources of incomes to depend upon.
- Poor people find it difficult to meet their basic needs of life, such as health, housing, education, clothing, food.
- A highly disproportionate share of incomes and wealth lies in the hands of a few ultra-rich.
- It is reasonable to expect democracies to reduce economic disparities, perhaps more than development.
c) Following allegation of killing of three civilians in Gandwara in a fake encounter by Jammu and Kashmir police, an enquiry has been ordered.
- As there is democracy, an inquiry has been ordered in the case of a fake encounter.
- As there is democracy, it gives freedom to press and freedom of speech to citizens, hence the case of fake encounters has come to the notice of the public and the authorities.
- If it was a dictatorship regime, the authorities would have turned a blind eye to such cases.
- It is important for the law agencies to find the root cause behind the fake encounter, and make necessary provisions such that police will not be motivated to carry out any further fake encounters.
- If the law is able to establish that a fake encounter did take place, then due punishment has to be given to the people indulging in such activities.
- As per law, intelligence gathering mechanisms have to be strengthened to avoid any kind of confusions, thereby preventing loss of innocent lives.
- Political and economic equality must be enforced to make sure that people of that region are brought to the mainstream of society which allow opportunities for creating a society without conflicts.
